This isn’t an attempt to rank the teams still alive in the

This isnt an attempt to rank the teams still alive in the MLB playoffs.This is an attempt to figure out which teams have the best chance of getting to and, more importantly, winning the World Series, so path to the title matters too. It's not just about total team talent.MORE: Make sense? Cool. Todd Frazier Jersey Lets jump in. ☎️ CubsWhy theyre here: Aside from a July swoon (they went just ☎️ ☎️ , the Cubs have been the best team in baseball pretty much all season, and theyre definitely the best team in baseball right now (they were a major league-best ☎️ ☎️ in the second half). The lineup is deep nine guys hit at least ☎️ home runs this season, led by ☎️ from Kris Bryant and ☎️ from Anthony Rizzo and the rotation is rock-solid their No. ☎️ playoff starter, John Lackey, had a ☎️ ☎️ ERA in ☎️ starts this season. The defense is outstanding the Cubs had an MLB-best ☎️ DRS (defensive runs saved); second place was ☎️ and the bullpen is anchored by Aroldis Chapman, a guy with a ☎️ ☎️ ERA after he joined the club in a trade with the Yankees.The nagging worry: Its October, and crazy things happen in October. ☎️ Red SoxWhy theyre here: These guys just mash the baseball. Eight of the nine lineup spots will feature a hitter who posted at least an . ☎️ OPS this season (third base is the exception), and they have three guys David Ortiz, Mookie Betts and Hanley Ramirez who had at least ☎️ homers and ☎️ RBIs during the regular season. Theyre relentle sand difficult to strike out. Bostons team strikeout percentage of ☎️ ☎️ ranked as the third-best in all of baseball. Plus, they're facing a Cleveland team thats down two elite starters (Danny Salazar and Carlos Carrasco) in the ALDS.MORE: The nagging worry: Sure, the Indians are mi sing Salazar and Tom Seaver Jersey Carrasco, but thats still a really good squad, and Cleveland has been really good at home this season and winning even one game there will not be easy. In fact, the Indians ☎️ home wins this season tied for second-best in the majors, behind only the Cubs ☎️ ☎️ Blue JaysWhy theyre here: Now that they survived the winner-take-all wild-card game against the Orioles, we can seriously look at the Jays as a World Series contender. Theres a lot to like. Lets start with the rotation options. Marcus Stroman proved in the wild-card game hes ready for this big stage, J.A. Happ won ☎️ games, Aaron Sanchez led the AL in ERA, Marco Estrada had a ☎️ ☎️ ERA and Francisco Liriano has been excellent down the stretch. Tough decisions are ahead. And we all know about the offense, which stumbled a bit in Septemberbut remains very dangerous, with Edwin Encarnacion, Josh Donaldson, Jose Bautista and Devon Travis hitting well in September.MORE: The nagging worry: The bullpen was great in the wild-card game, but will that hold up? And is closer Roberto Osuna, who had to leave that contest, really OK? ☎️ RangersWhy theyre here: That lineup is all kinds of fun to watch, unle s you happen to be a fan of the team trying to shut down that lineup. Five guys popped at least ☎️ homers, with two (Adrian Beltre and Rougned Odor) topping ☎️ And these guys had a knack for dramatic moments; of the playoff teams, only the Indians (with ☎️ had more walkoff wins than the eight Texas produced this season. Cole Hamels and Yu Darvish make a pretty impre sive top-of-the-rotation combo, but its fair to wonder what happens after that. Martin Perez and A.J. Griffin were inconsistent ( ☎️ ☎️ ERA and ☎️ ☎️ ERA, respectively), and Colby Lewis got knocked around in his four starts ( ☎️ ☎️ ERA) after a long DL stint. Do they really have enough in the rotation for a long October run?SPAEDER: The nagging worry: Sure, it sounds strange to use one of the teams strengths as a nagging worry, but the Rangers were an Steven Matz Jersey incredible ☎️ ☎️ in one-run games this season, despite a ☎️ ☎️ bullpen ERA.That number ranked ☎️ th in the majors. Thats not great. ☎️ DodgersWhy theyre here: Health-wise, the Dodgers are in better shape right now than they have been most of the year. The rotation has been a juggling act, but with healthy lefties Clayton Kershaw and Rich Hill at the top,manager Dave Roberts has two starters capable of seven shutout innings every time out. Kenta Madea has been solid all year, and youngster Julio Urias really settled down after a couple rough early outings. He had a ☎️ ☎️ ERA in the second half (six starts, three relief appearances). And speaking of good finishes, Yasiel Puig hit . ☎️ with a . ☎️ OPS after he was called up from the minors in September. He could be a series-changer.The nagging worry: Adrian Gonzalez Jersey They havent hit left-handed pitching all season. Its been a problemthat hasbeen oft-discu sed lately. The Nationals, though, only have one lefty in the rotation (Gio Gonzalez). Same thing with the Cubs (Jon Lester), their most likelyNLCS foe (if they get past the Nationals). Of course, just having to face the Cubs in the NLCS is a big ol stumbling block, and the primary reason they're not in the top three on this list. ☎️ GiantsWhy theyre here: These guys struggled mightily in the second half of the season, but theyre healthier than theyve been in a while (Hunter Pence and Denard Span are back in the lineup, and Madison Bumgarner looks like Dominant Playoff MadBum again. Its not just Bumgarner in the rotation, either. With Johnny Cueto, Matt Moore and Jeff Samardzija behind him, the Giants have the starters capable of carrying this team deep into the playoffs, even if Conor Gillaspie doesnt go full Cody Ro s at the plate.SPECTOR: The nagging worry: The bullpen was just awful in most of August and September, and thats a pretty disconcerting feeling in October. Sergio Romo seems to have, at least, stabilized the ninth inning. And then theres the matter of facing the Cubs so soon; thats the biggest reason San Francisco isnt in the top five here. ☎️ IndiansWhy theyre here: The Indians, who, as mentioned,led MLB with those ☎️ walkoff wins this season, are an exciting team to watch. They have a couple legit thumpers in the lineup Mike Napoli and Carlos Santana each hit ☎️ homers and they have four guys who reached doubledigits in both home runs and stolen bases (Francisco Lindor, Jason Kipnis, Jose Ramirez and Rajai Davis). Terry Francona isnt afraid to use bullpen stopper Andrew Miller in any high-leverage situation, whether its Jose Reyes Jersey in the sixth inning or the ☎️ th inning, and closer Cody Allen was ☎️ for ☎️ in save opportunities this year.MORE: The nagging worry: A month ago, the Indians had arguably the best rotation in ba